Dodge City times., 1887-08-18
ANOTHER ARTESIAN WE'LL

The Coolidge Citizen describes the ar
tesian well at that place as follows:
E. II. Peck, the enterprising citizen
who has shown enough faith in Coolidge
to begin the erection of $40 900 opera
house, began some weeks ago boring
well with the design of getting soft wa
ter entirely free from alkali. After going
down 21O feet small stream of water
began flowing to the top of the ground,
and our citizens were filled with hopes
that genuine artesian well would be the
outcome. The work went on until last
Saturday, when depth of 237 feet had
been reached. AS result of this enter
prise, we now have in Coolidge an ever
flowing stream of water, as soft and pure
as any that ever gushed forth from
mountain side, as cold as any stream that
flows from regions of perpetual snow, as
clear as the waters of any fountain in
which the Naiads of ancient myth were
wont to bathe. To the average KanSan
with his alkali-cOatcd stomach, this water
tastes sweeter than the choicest nectar
that Ganymede used to bear in cups of
gold to the gods of Mount Olympus.
The stream flows fOrty-fivc gallons per
minute, and seems likely to increase
rather than diminish, having already in
creased more than five gallons per minute
over its first flow. 1t fills two-anda-
half inch pipe and will rise in the same Is
feet above the surface BY confining the
stream to an inch and quarter pipe it
Is thrown thirty-fivc feet, and through
an inch pipe it can be thrown from fifty
to sixty feet There is not the slightest
appearance of alkali whatever i'm this
water Some think that there is slight
taste of sulphur in it, but be that as it
may, it is undoubtedly pure enough for
all practical purposes, as pure, in fact,
MS can be found in nature. Mr.. Peck
has sent off considerable quantities of
the water to be analyzed and our readers
may expect a report in the Citizen at as
early date as possible.
Artcsian wells get their name from the
province of Artois in France where they
were first successfully attempted. The
source of the water is of course, from
some elevated region often more than 100
miles from the well. Some of these wells
are very deep. The Grenella artesian in
Paris is 1000 feet deep; one i'm West
phalia, Germany. 1885 feet; one i'm
st. Louis 2,S43 feet; and one in Louis
vile, KY. 1852. In some regions the
principal supply of water for agricultural
purposes is drawn from these wells.
There are few artesiOn wells much shall
lower than this one in Coolidge, but none
of them in a town of any size. In Den
yer, Colorado. they are reached at a
depth of from 400 to 800 feet This is
the first successful artesian well that has
ever been bored i'm the state of Kansas,
though many efforts have been made.
The effect of this well upon the future
of our city can hardly be estimated at
the present time But that it will boom
Coolidge above all other Kansas cities in
the near future we can hardly doubt. If
the analysis of the water turns out sat
isfactory, as we have no doubt it will,
the railroad company will at once begin
to sink a similar well of much larger Ca
pacity. We may then look for decided
increase in the capacity of the repair
shops at this point for it is reasonable to
suppose that Coolidge will become the
principal repair point on the A. T. & s.
+. X. II. Arrangements have been
made to sink at least half dozen such
wells. Shade trees and grassy lawns will
soon take the place of buffalo grass and
sage brush. Its effect upon tho agricul-
tural and stock growing interests of the |
country will be no less marked. Where
ever such a well can be struck upon q |
quarter section of land the fortune of Its
owner is made. He is Independents Of !
the drouth, and independent Of the ditch |
company. Such well will water his |
stock and irrigatc his crops He can |
have his fish ponds, his shade trees.
growing crops and beautiful lawns
whether it rains or shines. The whole of |
Western Kansas and Eastern Colorado |
will be benefited by this discovery. and
we doubt not that during the next few
months every town from Garden City to
the Rocky mountains will be boring for
artesian water. 1t is not likely that
many localities will find the water at
such shallow depth as Coolidge, and
some may fail entirely. But we believe
enough water will be found and applied
to agricultural purposes to cause a
marked increase in the rainfall of the So
called Great American Desert. And
surely Coolidge has much better chance
than ever before of becoming the chief
city of this entire region. If she does
not boom this fall ahead of any other
Kansas town. it will be the fault of her
own inhabitants. We are fortunate, in
deed, in having such liberal and pub
lie spirited citizens as Mr. Peck, and we
hope that many Others will follow his
example
A couple of wooden stringers over
culvert ON prairie that is almost annu-